University of Geneva

From the time of its creation in 1559 by Jean Calvin, right up to the recent discovery by University astrophysicists of extrasolar planets, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has continued to grow and develop while maintaining its longstanding tradition of excellence with an international angle. The University of Geneva is  the second largest university in Switzerland and is a public institution of the Republic and Canton of Geneva. It pursues three missions: teaching (classes are, in general, taught in French), research, and service to the wider community.

Faculties and focus

The UNIGE is composed of eight faculties:

• Sciences
• Medicine
• Arts
• Social Science and Economics
• Law
• Theology
• Psychology and Educational Sciences
• School of Translation and Interpretation

There also several interdisciplinary centers in areas such as informatics, neurosciences and environmental studies.

Having completed its transition to the "Bologna System" in 2007, UNIGE is now part of the European Space of Higher Education. It offers more than 340 types of degrees and more than 200 continuing education programs covering an extremely wide variety of fields: exact sciences, medicine and humanities.

UNIGE develops its priorities along six axes: life sciences (from gene to patient), physical sciences (from atoms to galaxies), neurosciences (from neuron to philosophy), historical sciences, environmental sciences and finance and society. UNIGE is host to three National Centres of Competence in Research: Frontiers in Genetics, Materials with Novel Electronic Properties (MaNEP) and Affective Sciences.

Through its participation in the League of European Research Universities (LERU), UNIGE stands out as one of the 20 best research universities in Europe. It is also a member of other international networks: the International Forum of Public Universities (FIUP), which brings together around twenty universities that are recognized within their country for the importance they give to research and their sound contribution to the development of society, and the Coimbra Group, an association of long-established European multidisciplinary universities meeting high international standards and committed to creating special academic and cultural ties in order to promote internationalization, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and research, and service to society.

Collaboration with top organizations

UNIGE is active in the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, and regularly collaborates with institutions such as the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), a European organization for research in astronomy, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the NASA. Moreover, it maintains a privileged connection with the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN). Based on its unique international presence in Europe, UNIGE has continuously strengthened its ties with the international and nongovernmental organizations established in Geneva, such as the United Nations Organization (UNO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).